of shadows
by uniabocetaP
Summary: Éowyn is walking in the halls of Meduseld trying to avoid Wormtongue, when she got lost at the memories of some happier days.


Éowyn was hurrying along the cold halls of Meduseld. It was a very cold and windy day. The Great Hall of Meduseld was full of people pleading for an audience with her uncle, but Wormtongue wouldn't let anyone go near him. As he said the king was "frail and sick. All he needed was rest and warmth, not trivial problems troubling his mind".

Éowyn shivered at the thought of his voice. It was so milk and cold. In fact she was not running away from the cold hall but of his cold voice. She couldn't stand hearing him talk to the peasants any longer. And moreover she maybe had a chance to lose her shadow. In the thought of "losing her shadow" she gave away a small smile as the memories of happier times sprang into her mind. She paused in front of a certain tapestry and got lost in the memory of a warm summer evening, quite a few years ago.

That day she was following around Éomer, as usual. She would follow him everywhere, in the classrooms, practice area, and the playgrounds. Especially in the playgrounds. She liked that particular area because she could appear to him and ask him to play together without anyone's disapproval. So that particular day she followed him from his bedchamber. She felt particularly excited as the boys where going to play orcs. In that game they formed two teams: the orcs and the Rohirrims, each team being one of them one day and one the other. The rules where simple: they had to make everyone from the other team weald, without breaking a bone or a punishment was on the way. Her brother always was the leader of the victorious team. Oh, Éowyn wanted so much to take part on one of their games!

With that in mind, she hid behind a tapestry outside her brother's classroom. There was no way losing him, she would certainly see him pass that way to the playgrounds. And she was correct; after a while Éomer passed right in front of her. Anxiously hurried behind him, but she didn't noticed a small chair in front of her and she tripped. Éomer turned around to see the source of the noise and he saw her.

"Éowyn! Are you following me again? I've told you a thousand times I do not want you with me!"

"But why not? I want to play as well! Please, Éomer, let me come with you!" pleaded Éowyn.

"No! I do not want you come with me!"

"Please only once! I will be a very good soldier, I promise! Look, I've even gotten with me my sword!" she said waving a small wooden sword as fiercely as she could around in her little arms.

"Very well, but only if that means that I will lose my shadow for the rest of the month", sighed Éomer. He knew that if he asked for more time of his little sister he wouldn't take it. It was very likely that she would be following him again around next week.

"Erm…ok" responded Éowyn. She was going to play Orcs! That only mattered to her in that point, she would figure later how to play with him again sooner of next month.

"And promise me you will do _exactly_ as I command" added Éomer.

"Yes sir!" replied Éowyn in her most serious manner, which wasn't very convincing as Éomer rolled his eyes.

And so, the two of them, hurried outside Meduseld into the playgrounds. They met with the others there. Today they were going to be the Orcs. The last few meters Éomer begun to run; he was late and so they had started playing without him. Just before entering the battle area he stopped and put mud on his face. _So, as to look like proper orcs_, thought Éowyn. She put a handful of mud on her face and arms too.

Soon afterwards she was ready to join the battle. She looked around for Éomer, but he had already joined the other boys.

"Éomer! Éomer! What should I do?"

"Well...you will hide behind that big barrel and make mudballs. Like arrows."

"Mudballs?", she asked disappointed. She wanted to take part in the fight but she promised to obey him. "How many?" asked reluctantly.

"As much as you can! Until I call you! Now go!"

He resumed his fight with the other boys, while she went behind the barrel. Actually the barrel was on a place higher from the rest of the place. She could inspect the battlefield fairly well from that position. What she observed was that, if she put a lot of mudballs on the barrel, with a single push she could make rain mudballs on the heads of the boys. With a grin she started making mudballs.

After half an hour it was obvious that the battle for once was not in favour of Éomer. They had pushed all of his companions and him to the base of the small hillside of the barrel. They were going to lose, that was obvious even for small Éowyn. Infuriated, Éowyn, decided to act against her brother's orders and assault them with the mudballs. She waited until her brother's orcs, well _her_ orcs too, moved out of her range and the other boys entered it. As soon as that happened, she gave the barrel a good push.

But not everything went as she hoped. The barrel broke and his content, mixed with mud, poured onto the heads of her enemies.

"Who did this?" shouted stanned, Hála, their leader.

"My shadow!" Responded Éomer and took advantage of their misfortune to claim his victory.

Later that night brother and sister where in Éowyn's bedchamber. She was confined there for over a month. The barrel she broke was full of mead, carefully prepared as a gift for a Gondorian lord due to visit in a week. However Éowyn was very pleased with herself and was chattering happily to Éomer.

"Did you see the look on their faces? It was priceless! I bet they did not expect that! I do not know what is the best, our victory, or the lemon pie you brought me as a present!"

"None of them" replied Éomer with a crooked smile on his face. "the best part is that I will lose my annoying little shadow for a while! Freedom!"

Éowyn smiled larger now. What a day! Back then she was annoyed with Éomer's statement but she said nothing as Théodred entered her bedroom to inquire about her deeds. Now she understood completely Éomer. It was really annoying being followed around by someone day and night. She only wished it as simple for her to get rid of her shadow, Wormtongue, as it was for Éomer. Unfortunately it wasn't. The only thing she could do was to hurry along the cold halls to her bedchambers, wishing that Wormtongue, or his spies, would miss her and have a moment of piece, a moment of freedom.

* * *

_Second story! got a bit larger than I thought. I hope you like it, and please comment! it's a good way for me to improve!_

_Also I am not sure if there is the word "mudballas", but they are children and we as children used to make up a lot of words! So maybe it's the fruit of Éomer's imagination..._


End file.
